Worcester is at peak, head of UMass says

Friday

WORCESTER – While COVID-19 may have peaked in some other areas of the state, Central Massachusetts is still surging, the head of UMass Memorial Health Care said Thursday, April 23.

“We continue to be at our high water mark,” Dr. Eric Dickson said at the city’s daily press briefing, though he added that the situation has not been as bad as he feared.

Eighty-eight patients were in the intensive care unit as of Thursday – the same number as Wednesday – but the number of patients on ventilators was at its highest mark, Dickson said.

Still, he said he was comfortable that UMass and St. Vincent have enough ventilators to cover the surge, which would allow doctors to not have to make difficult, life-or-death decisions.

There were 97 new positive cases Thursday in Worcester, bringing its total to 1,542. Four people died since Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths here to 70.

Between the city’s hospitals, 143 medical staff have tested positive, an increase of 6 from Wednesday.

Shrewsbury has 150 cases, an increase of 7, Holden has 37 cases, an increase of 2, Grafton has 44 cases, an increase of 1, Leicester has 61 cases, an increase of 2 and Millbury has 136 cases, an increase of 3.

Dickson said hospitals have noted a higher prevalence of COVID-19 in Latinos, and City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. announced that he signed a memorandum of understanding with UMass to begin to study some of the ethnic and racial disparities.

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“There’s nothing better than a pandemic to remind us that all our fates are intertwined,” Augustus said, adding that he will create a task force to look at the data and find solutions.

Augustus highlighted several pieces of good news. He said there have been no more cases in first responders, and thanked the city’s health commissioner, Mattie Castiel, for helping homeless people housed by the city during the epidemic find permanent places to live.

The city has now helped nine homeless people find permanent housing, Augustus said, calling it “good news in the midst of all the community is dealing with.”

Mayor Joseph M. Petty said the Worcester Together Fund eclipsed $5 million Wednesday thanks to a donation from the city’s medical director, Dr. Michael Hirsh.

He urged people to take the face mask challenge – taking face mask pictures and donating $10 to the fund before challenging others to do the same – in order to keep the donations flowing.

Donations can be made at http://www.worcesterma.gov/coronavirus/help, or by texting worcestercovid19 to 243725 and following instructions.

Dickson said that while the county is seeing its peak, the hospitals have enough capacity thanks to the field hospital at the DCU Center and the recovery unit at Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center.

“We would be overwhelmed at the medical center (without those),” Dickson said, praising county leaders for working together.

Dickson also noted that UMass is the first hospital in the state to use plasma transfusion to treat a COVID-19 patient. The critically ill patient improved, he said, and three others have since received the treatment.

In other news, Petty noted that Spectrum has agreed to provide free Wi-Fi internet for 60 days to households with school or college children who currently do not have it.

Those interested – as well as those who do have it but are struggling financially – can call Spectrum at 844-488-8395.

Contact Brad Petrishen at brad.petrishen@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishenTG.